Turkey Congee

The perfect post-holiday meal from Lorraine Hee-Chorley of Mendocino

The California Table is a year old! Last year, just after Thanksgiving, I shared my very first interview—the story of a 4th-generation Californian, Lorraine Hee-Chorley, whose grandfather immigrated from China during the Gold Rush. It was an absolutely perfect way to start a conversation about how we cook (and who we are) in California. (See the link above to revisit her family’s story.) Lorraine also shared an absolutely wonderful recipe—her “turkey-rice soup,” aka turkey congee. It’s the perfect thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers, and, truly, one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in the past year. To mark our first anniversary, I thought I’d share it again.

Turkey Rice Soup (Turkey Congee)

Lorraine makes this turkey congee a little bit differently than her dad did. She starts by sautéing some vegetables in the pot before boiling the carcass, and she sometimes adds some turkey-flavored bullion to bump up the flavor. She also uses a relatively small amount of rice, compared to traditional recipes, so that there’s a higher protein to carb ratio. But she goes all-in on the toppings, roasting some salt pork or pork belly with five spice the night before, and adding scallion greens and fresh ginger. “I may even add a little zucchini,” she said, laughing, the day she showed me how to make this dish.

Lorraine also noted that her father basted their turkey with soy sauce and put a bacon rind on it while it roasted. But any way you roast your turkey, this congee is delicious. (I tried it out a few days ago, after roasting a turkey leg and some wings with just olive oil and salt, and it was one of the most comforting dishes I’ve had in a long time.)

Total Cook Time: 3 hours
Active Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
½ yellow onion, diced
1 turkey carcass with about 2 cups meat (the meat can be on the carcass or cut off)
Up to 3 tablespoons Better Than Bullion, roast turkey flavor (optional)
Salt, to taste
Ground white or black pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups jasmine rice

Optional Toppings:
Eggs, fried or scrambled
Cooked bacon or some pork belly seasoned with five spice (a small piece, roasted for about 45 minutes at 350°, until golden brown)
Scallion greens, cut into ½”-long pieces
Ginger, peeled and minced

1.     Heat the vegetable oil in a large stock pot, and sauté the celery, carrot, and onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey carcass and meat to the pot, and add 10 cups of water.

2.     Bring the water to a rolling boil, then turn the heat to low, and simmer the soup, covered, for about 2 hours.

3.     When the soup is done, remove the turkey carcass. Pick off the meat, and put it back in the broth; discard the bones. Taste the soup and add bullion, salt, and pepper to taste.

4.     Bring the soup back to a rolling boil. Put the rice in a sieve and rinse it under running water until the water runs clear, then add it to the soup.

5.     Bring the soup back to a boil, and cook, stirring the rice frequently, until it is very soft but hasn’t lost its shape. “You have to keep stirring the rice so that it doesn’t clump together and it becomes really fluffy,” says Lorraine. “You don’t want it to sink to the bottom and burn.”

6.     After about 25 minutes, the rice will be fully cooked and soft. Taste the congee and add more seasoning if necessary.

7.     Serve the turkey congee in bowls with the topping on the side, so that people can add their own.

Photo: Georgia Freedman